"Real Love" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige from her debut studio album, What's the 411? (1992). Based on real life experiences, it was written and produced by Cory Rooney and Mark Morales, and samples Audio Two's 1987 song "Top Billin'". The song was issued as the album's second single on July 28, 1992 by Uptown and MCA. It became Blige's first top-10 hit, peaking at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Rhythmic charts and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 4, 1992. Marcus Raboy directed the song's music video. Rolling Stone included "Real Love" in their list of "500 Best Songs of All Time" in 2021 at number 327.

Background

The initial creation of "Real Love" started with Morales writing the lyrics in-studio; according to Rooney, he started singing the first few lines, and Rooney liked its hint of rap, thus prompting him to create a bridge and melody. Regarding the song's meaning, Rooney said, "Mary J. Blige is the female that’s from the hood that sings the pain of all of the females from the hood. At that point in her life, she was being taken advantage of by a lot of the industry cats and a song like 'Real Love' described her situation."

Critical reception

In a retrospective review, Daryl McIntosh of Albumism noted that "the sped-up baseline" of Audio Two's "Top Billin'", in the background, "provided the perfect head-nodding cadence for Blige's soulful exploration of her Mr. Right." Stanton Swihart, from AllMusic, stated that "Real Love", and songs like it, "are and will remain timeless slices of soul even after their trendiness has worn off". The Daily Vault's Mark Millan described it as an "upbeat love song that the young Blige revels in singing". He added that "it still gets a rousing response when she dusts it off during gigs." In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton felt that "it's not commercial enough to be a major hit". Chris Roberts from Melody Maker felt that Blige "oozes out that yumsome breed of smoky pop-funk" on the track. James Hamilton from Music Week's RM Dance Update viewed it as "En Vogue-ish". Parry Gettelman from Orlando Sentinel felt the beat made the song "listenable enough". Jonathan Bernstein from Spin complimented its "irresistible bounce".

Music video

The official music video for the song was directed by American film and music video director Marcus Raboy.

Impact and legacy

In 2021, Rolling Stone included "Real Love" in their list of "500 Best Songs of All Time" at number 327. In 2022, Pitchfork ranked it at number 39 in their list of "The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s". Mary J Blige's song still holds its impacts today as she's set to produce a Lifetime movie on "Real Love."

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the What's the 411? liner notes.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Toby Lightman version

In 2004, American pop rock singer-songwriter Toby Lightman covered "Real Love" and included it as the closing track on the re-release of her debut studio album, Little Things (2004). The song was issued as the third and final single from the album; and it peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard top 40 chart.

Music video

The official music video for the song was directed by Charles Jensen.

Charts